The First Howl: Book One of Shifting Loyalties
by Gymnastics Crazy
Summary: They're shapeshifters. A snake, a leopard, a dog, and a werewolf, and to think the three gentic animagi are all going to Hogwarts this year. With a dominate relationship, and only one forest to share, however, they're far from relaxing.
1. When the Moon Is Full, We Are Free

Courtney closed the book she was reading and set it down gently on the nightstand near her bed. The book wasn't at all interesting, or at least not close to what she was used to reading about. It was only about a few evil wizards in the past, like Voldemort. He was the most interesting thing in the book, but it got boring after he was defeated by that Harry Potter boy. To be defeated by a baby? How can _that _be interesting if all the book is going to do is read over all the possibilities of why it happened?

Courtney sighed and got out of bed, remembering that breakfast would be ready soon. There was hopefulness in her at the moment, because her Hogwarts letter would be coming soon, as would her sisters. Her aunt and uncle had gone to Beauxbatons, so she didn't know much about it. Her sister, Tiffany, went to Hogwarts, and was in her sixth year and was Head girl of the Ravenclaw house, so she knew a little bit at least.

As she walked out of her room, it seemed unusually quiet. Normally, there was either yelling, crying, or the loudness of her sisters voices from just talking over the breakfast table. Courtney usually ate quickly and left because she hated the noise, but today seemed quiet so she went down.

Courtney nodded as she saw the letters in Amanda's and Kalayla's hands. The letters were from Hogwarts. She knew that because of the Hogwarts seal on her letter, and the fact that the three of them had got one.

"I still think it's unfair that you get to go and I don't." Haley, the youngest of the family, muttered as she gave Courtney her letter. Haley was a year and a half younger than the rest of them, so, according to Hogwarts rules, Haley had to stay at home for one more year before she could attend with Courtney and the others. "It's so boring here!"

Courtney smiled. "It shouldn't be boring near the full moon, right? You get to go to the forest alone, now. You should be proud that Aunt Cynthia let you go at all." Haley narrowed her eyes, which were a blue, at the moment, but they seemed to change depending on the lighting.

"That's not funny." Haley murmured, and then sat down on a nearby chair. Courtney ignored the glaring, figuring it was too stupid to worry about. She sat down on a cream colored armchair and opened her letter from Hogwarts.

_Dear Miss Courtney Coppin_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The Headmaster has confirmed your eligibility after hearing of your abnormality, and he has some requirements. Meet with the Headmaster and I after the Welcoming Feast so that we can discuss the restrictions and it's consequences. _

_Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins September 1st. We await your owl by no later than July 31st. _

_Yours sincerely, _

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy Headmistress_

Courtney looked up from the letter with a small smirk on her face. This was a more personal letter, then. Tiffany had told her that most of the letters were nearly exactly the same, so she had been expecting the same letter as her. However, this letter was different, so she felt a bit special about it.

Courtney looked over to her sisters, who were looking at her. Being a triplet was sometimes annoying, but at times like these it was brilliant. At this time, she knew that they were thinking the same thing she was. After all, they would have gotten the same letter as hers, stating to meet with the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress after the Welcoming Feast, to talk about their 'abnormality'.

"Can we send a letter back now, Aunt Cynthia?" Courtney asked, feeling the need to break the strange silence that she almost never heard. "We might as well confirm that we're coming."

Aunt Cynthia looked up from the frying pan, her blue-green eyes on Courtney. She gave a gentle smile and nodded before saying, "Yes, Courtney. I think that is a wonderful idea." Her smile faded slightly, as if she were trying look like she was not trying to hide her thoughts. "Did the Deputy Headmistress say anything other than your acceptance?"

Courtney nodded, smiling. "We are to meet her, and the Headmaster, after the Welcoming Feast." Aunt Cynthia nodded and then dropped her eyes to the frying pan.

"I think we'll go to Diagon Ally in a few weeks. One of you is definitely getting an owl. Tiffany's is getting very old, and it will be too rough on the poor bird to carry _all _of our letters." She paused and then looked to Amanda. "Would you like a cat? I know you've been wanting one."

Amanda's eyes lit up as she sat straighter. "Yes!" She said excitedly. "I don't care if I don't get an owl!" Aunt Cynthia chuckled as she usually did to our excitement. The elder lady was always soft to them, even when she was scolding Haley for nearly destroying the basement when one of her experimental tricks failed.

"Then your sisters will get owls, and then Haley can choose when the time comes." Cynthia decided, ignoring Kalayla's sudden confusion.

"What do you mean?" Kalayla asked. "I didn't know that we would both get owls."

"Well of course you're both getting owls. If Courtney and Amanda get pets, why don't you? I would assume you'd want an owl, because you were never into cats like Amanda, and you never liked toads." Their Aunt explained.

"Ohhhh!" Kalayla said, her eyes showing that she'd understood. "I guess it's fair." Courtney smiled at her sisters, happy that they were both as excited as she was. They hadn't learned a spell so far, though Courtney knew most of how to make them work and how to use her wand, even though she didn't own one yet, so they didn't know what to expect. Tiffany had kept the actual classes and magic part of the school out of her conversations.

Haley was still sulking near the dining table, though she couldn't hide her excitement all too well. Courtney felt bad for her. After all, she had the worst transformation of the four of them, and she was younger and still had to wait. All of them had learned how to control themselves together, and now they had to depart. All of them thought it was unfair, but it was the rules. Also, Aunt Cynthia had a friend who was an Animagus, and the potions master, Professor Snape, had finally agreed to give her the Wolfsbane potion, which was new to the world. That would at least calm her down, and she'd have someone to run through the forest with, no matter how strange the person was.

"I wonder what House I'll be in." Kalayla said absently, as if she'd accidentally said the words aloud. Courtney blinked back to reality and shrugged.

"From the song that the Hat sang at Tiffany's sorting, I'd say you'd go to Hufflepuff. However, Gryffindor is a good choice as well." Courtney explained, thinking it was the best answer she could come up with.

"I think I want to be in Slytherin," said Amanda proudly. "They're 'the Snake House' after all." Courtney burst out laughing, as did Amanda. Kalayla giggled and did a barking sound, and Haley tried her hardest not to look amused. That inside joke was similar to the ones that they had daily, simply because it was natural to them.

"Yeah, just keep thinkin' that." Courtney said, realizing the look in Amanda's eyes. "There is the Forbidden Forest, remember? We won't be able to do anything besides acting normal at Hogwarts, from what the letter said. Don't get your hopes up." Amanda frowned at this, but then went and read the enclosed letter of equipment and supplies.

"At least you got accepted," Haley said softly. "I might not have a chance."

"Now, Haley," Aunt Cynthia interrupted. "The Headmaster said that you would get accepted as long as you took the Wolfsbane potion and your sisters were there, alright? You have a very good chance of getting accepted at Hogwarts."

Haley listened, and then dropped the subject.

"Have any of you seen that book I bought last year? The one about Animagi?"

Everyone's eyes turned to Tiffany, who was standing near the stair case. Courtney, deciding to play around again because she was in such a mood, shrugged.

"Why don't you just ask one of us for the information?" She asked. "We're basically Animagi ourselves." Tiffany narrowed her eyes, but then just shook her head.

"Yes, but you're not the real thing. They actually have to _work _to become one, and it takes years for them to gain the transformation." Tiffany explained as she continued looking.

"It's not our fault that our transformation is genetic," Amanda cut in. "And besides, if you already know this much, why are you looking for the book?" Tiffany turned around and glared at her.

"I might not know enough," Tiffany put simply. "And I need to know everything so I can to pass my N.E.W.T's next year." As Tiffany continued looking, Amanda started talking to Kalayla.

It was now a normal morning, aside from the fact that Courtney was in the middle of a yelling—or barking—contest between Kalayla and Haley. Courtney never knew what they were about, though when they started howling it was most likely about what they were going to do the next full moon. They always howled when they were happy, or excited.

_And soon we'll be able to run through a forest full of creatures that will hopefully welcome us._

* * *

Courtney found herself more excited than ever. It had been a week since she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter, and the full moon was above her head. In another week she and her sisters would go to Diagon Ally and meet the Weasley's. They hadn't done so sooner because of this full moon, and Courtney figured it was okay.

Amanda and Kalayla were at Courtney's side as they watched their young sister, both looking as excited as she was. Haley looked as nervous as always, her dark blue-green eyes looking out to the forest. Courtney's heart was beating quickly, and she was ready to transform.

The forest around them was a private one that no one went to, so Courtney knew it was safe. It was dark and gloomy, but the tall redwood trees gave some beauty to the abandoned forest. Creatures lurked in the nearby shadows, waiting for what was soon about to happen. Courtney let her senses go far, searching through the familiar territory. Her senses weren't as good as Haley's, but they were better than a humans. Her sister's senses were as well.

A little cry of pain told Courtney that Haley's transformation was starting. She looked up to her sister and watched silently as she changed into a wolf, yelping only three times while she shifted bodies. Haley had grown used to the pain it took for the transformation, and she'd learned to ignore it and show it as little as possible. Just like her, Courtney thought, hiding her weaknesses.

When Courtney could see that Haley was in full wolf form, she transformed herself. The thick five-inch silver fur came back to her and warmed her, and her hands and feet changed into large paws. Courtney felt her tail behind her, and her round ears on her head. Her eyes grew more sensitive and now she could see much better than when she was human. She flexed her claws and shook her fur, ready to jump and run. Climbing, if necessary, would suit her just well tonight. After all, a snow leopard's body was meant for it.

Courtney looked to her left and saw Kalayla in her large canine body. The white fur was nearly blinding in this light, but it was normal. The dog was a German Shepard, but pure white with a little longer fur than a normal dog. With a long snout and fangs, Courtney wished anything than to get her sister mad at the moment. Kalayla's tail wagged as she panted, obviously ready to go.

To Courtney's right was Amanda in her serpent body, hissing slightly as she realized Courtney was staring. Her scales were a silver-blue color, and then she had black triangular stripes that zig-zagged over the black spots that were also on her scales. She hissed again and Courtney saw the long, yellow fangs that proved she had poison. A poison that, no matter how many times Courtney tried to guess it, always changed. Amanda chose her venom, and she chose it wisely.

Haley howled, telling them to get a move on. Her brown fur was already ruffled and untidy, as it always was, and her blue eyes were blinking at her siblings. Courtney nodded and sprinted forward, listening as the others followed her. As always, Haley took the lead because she was the fastest, and Amanda slithered in second in a duel for first. Despite her serpent body, Amanda was fast and she always showed it when the full moon came.

Kalayla barked happily as she ran behind Amanda, her tail wagging as if it were a fan. Courtney ran steadily beside her sister, her eyes narrowed at some tree up ahead. She always looked forward, trying her best to ignore her siblings. Tonight she could run without anyone noticing. Tonight she could hunt happily, without anybody looking at her oddly. Tonight she could be free.

Time passed by quickly as it always did, and soon the four broke apart. Haley happily kept running, hunting down a bird which somehow caught her attention. Amanda slithered up a tree and hung there, waiting for prey that would come easily. Kalayla reluctantly broke apart from her "pack" and began chasing a stubborn squirrel, barking as she did so. Courtney slowed down and found at stream that she normally stopped at before climbing up a near by wall of boulders.

The first time they did this they were all scared to break up and go their own ways and do their own things. One reason was because Haley was younger and some wizard or witch would recognize her as a werewolf and kill her. Of course, after some arguments they decided that all she needed to do was howl two times in a row and that would let the others know that she was in trouble.

Another was that Courtney was a rare animal in Britain. Asia was where the snow leopard was normally spotted, if spotted at all, so it would be abnormal for one to be seen here. Add another fact that she would probably be caught because she was rare, and it made these outings all the more worse. They fixed this by making Courtney read up on how to use the normal defense spells, and they all thought she was smart enough to stay away from danger.

Amanda was a snake, and a venomous one. However, if someone realized her rare scales she would probably also be captured, just like Courtney. They fixed this with making Amanda stay in the trees where she was most likely going to blend in the best she could. Amanda never objected to this, stating that she'd rather wait for her prey in a clean place up in a tree rather than get dirty trying to keep up with Haley.

Kalayla was a dog, so why on earth would she be in the forest? If any muggle saw her, she'd be captured quickly. This is why they stayed deep into the forest, and Aunt Cynthia always stayed behind and put the protection spells around the part of the forest in which they usually stayed. They had small problems after this, but they always fixed them.

After taking a long drink from the stream, Courtney turned and ran over to the many boulders which had been moved by Kalayla and Haley just for her. She then began climbing, twisting, and scraping her claws on the hard stone.

Dawn came a little quicker than she had liked, but she followed their rules and ran back to the small clearing that they'd split up at. Haley and Kalayla was already there, Amanda coming a short time later. They nodded at each other, and then ran—or slithered, in Amanda's case—back toward the fields that Aunt Cynthia would meet them.

When they got to the fields, Aunt Cynthia smiled warmly at them. Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla turned back into their human bodies and waited as Haley returned to hers. Courtney was happy to see the dark blond hair and the hazel eyes of her sisters. She knew what it was like to see double, because they all looked at least fairly alike. Amanda had a rounder face, Kalayla had very short hair, and Courtney's ears sticking out a little more than the other two.

Even though she hadn't been able to hunt, but she was happy regardless. Also, according to the expressions on her triplet sister's faces, they were as well.

"Did you have a good run?" Aunt Cynthia asked as Haley wobbled over to the muggle car and slipped in. She looked exhausted, but it was normal. The smile on Haley's face showed Courtney that even though she looked as if she were going to faint, she was happy.

"I had fun." Amanda said, with a smirk on her face. "I caught a small bird, and boy was it good. I can't wait to catch one again." Aunt Cynthia chuckled a bit as they got into the car.

"Yes, it does seem like you have fun." She said quietly, watching as Kalayla nodded with pure peacefulness in her eyes.

"I chased another squirrel, and it didn't run up a tree this time!" Kalayla said. "It seemed to be playing along with me, so I chose not to catch it. Chasing it was much more fun."

"I was having fun climbing the boulder wall," Courtney said before Kalayla could interrupt. "I didn't do much else, though I nearly caught a fawn." Courtney had chose not to catch it as a doe showed up, deciding that she'd rather go hungry than be kicked by a pair of hooves.

Aunt Cythina nodded and then hummed out a small tune. Courtney glanced over to Haley, and found her sister asleep in the back row of seats in the large car.

_Yes, _Courtney decided. _This is what freedom is all about. I like it here, and to think that I am going to learn how to cast spells? My life may be horrible at times, but I need nothing more. I am happy, and, at the moment, I can only predict more happiness. _

* * *

"Oh! Molly, dear!" Aunt Cynthia called over the voices of the wizards and witches that crowded the street. "We're over here!"

Mrs. Weasley turned her head quickly and then gave a welcoming smile. The six other red-heads there turned their heads as well, the youngest son looking especially excited. Aunt Cythina led the way towards the family, Mrs. Weasley doing the same to her family. The two of them hugged a bit and then began chatting.

"Oh how nice it is to see you again, Cynthia." Mrs. Weasley greeted kindly. "Has everything been well?" Aunt Cynthia nodded in response.

"Everything's fine, Molly." Aunt Cynthia replied. "It's going to be a long day, since there's four of them now, but it's not nearly as large as your group, now is it?" Molly shook her head.

"Yes it is, but three at time has broken our record." Mrs. Weasley stayed as she gestured to Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla. "Fred and George already had some of their things, anyways."

Courtney listened, but then Haley's quick movement made her switch her attention. Haley had come on request, and was now talking with the Weasley twins.

"Did you find out why it exploded?" Haley asked. "I keep screwing up the potion part of it, but Aunt Cynthia is being nice and keeps letting me use the basement." Fred—or at least that's who Courtney thought he was—nodded at that.

"We got our part finished, no matter how—" Fred said.

"—hard it was." George continued. "We had to make up our own—"

"—spell to make it work, and the candy had to withstand most of our—" said Fred thoughtfully.

"—other potion experiments. Other than that, though it was—" George explained.

"Pretty easy besides those things." Both of them finished.

Courtney raised her eyebrows, now very curious. "And what might you three be planning?" The three of them looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Nothing." They all said. Courtney shook her head and then turned to look back to Aunt Cynthia. She had caught all their attention, and then they led everyone down the street. Mr. Weasley was talking with Percy about something in the Ministry of Magic, the twins and Haley were still talking about their "experiment", and Ron—who was the youngest of the male Weasley's—and his younger sister fell behind to talk to Courtney and her sisters.

"I'm going to Hogwarts this year as well," Ron was saying. "Do any of you think that you'll be in Gryffindor?" Kalayla shrugged, Amanda shook her head, her expression showing disgust, and Courtney sighed.

"We don't know, now do we?" She asked. Ron frowned, but then went on.

"Ginny here will be going next year." Ron explained. "Is Haley going next year as well?"

"Yes," Amanda replied. "Though she wished it were this year." Ginny nodded, agreeing.

"It's not fair that everyone but me gets to go." Ginny muttered. "It's only another year!" Ron shook his head, looking proud that he could say this.

"I had to wait too, Ginny," said Ron. "and I lived." Ginny stuck her tongue at him and then looked away. Good timing, too, because Aunt Cynthia and Mrs. Weasly had already stopped and were trying to decide what to do.

"From here I think we'll split up," Mrs. Weasley was saying to the others. "Ron, Courtney, Amanda and Kalayla will stay here with Cynthia and get their wands at Ollivanders while the rest of us will go ahead to Flourish and Blotts to get the books. We'll meet by Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions to get new robes." Aunt Cynthia looked a little confused at the last part.

"Wouldn't Percy, Fred and George get bored there?" Aunt Cynthia asked. "Or do they need new robes?"

Mrs. Weasley frowned, and then nodded. "Fred and George were playing around in their bedroom, and caused in explosion. Everything _but _their Hogwarts robes were saved." She glanced at her sons, and then shook her head. "Anyways, the need their new robes and Percy had grown a bit as well."

Nobody had any objections, and so they split up. Ginny unwillingly went with her mother to Flourish and Blotts while Haley followed Aunt Cynthia and the others into Ollivanders.

The shop was old and shabby, but it did not seem unwelcoming. There were several long, but thin, boxes that Courtney supposed held wands. The counter also seemed worn out, and there were some damages that Courtney could have sworn had to have come from a wand. The shopkeeper wasn't anywhere to be seen until a small door opened from further behind to store.

Courtney watched as an elderly man walked over to them, a pleasant smile on his face. The man, obviously an Ollivander, was pale-eyed and white haired. He was very welcoming, even when he nodded to the four new customers.

"Ah," he said as he studied Courtney, Ron, Amanda and Kalayla. "A new school year brings new first years." Courtney glanced to her sisters. Amanda's hazel eyes were bright with excitement, and Kalayla was ducking her head in shyness. Ron, himself, looked nervous but tried hard not to show it.

Aunt Cynthia smiled at the shopkeeper as he noticed her. "And should I assume that these are the three sisters to that young Tiffany Coppin, then?" He said as he gestured to Courtney and her sisters. "And that this is Molly's sixth son?"

"You are right, old friend." Aunt Cynthia said softly, her eyes dreamy in thought. Ollivander nodded and then waved his hand over.

"Alright then," Ollivander said. "Who would like to go first?"

Ron stepped forward first, holding his head high. Ollivander stepped away from the counter and looked through the many boxes of wands, picking out one after looking at it for a few moments. As he gave Ron the wand, his face was still kind and gentle, but there was a bit of uncertainty in his eyes well. Courtney only thought about this for a few moments before Ron flicked his wrist and the counter set fire. Ollivander put on the fire easily and then fixed the counter.

"Sorry." Ron murmured as he set the wand back on the counter. Ollivander shook his head as he put the wand back in it's place and grabbed another. As Ron picked up this one, his eyes lit up and bit of pride seemed to go through him. A gold light came from the tip of the wand and Ollivander nodded again.

"Yes, the wand has chosen." He said softly, making the four of them look up at him.

"What does that mean?" Amanda asked curiously. Ollivander turned his eyes to the rest of them and continued smiling.

"A Wand chooses the wizard, Miss Coppin, and this wand has chosen Mr. Weasley." His eyes turned to Ron again and looked at the wand the red-head was holding.

"Willow for the wood, unicorn hair for the core, 14 inches." Ollivander explained. As he talked to Aunt Cynthia about the money, Courtney watched as Ron played with his wand, looking at it with pride.

"I can't believe I actually get my own wand!" said Ron happily, as he looked up to Courtney and her sisters. "I was going to use my older brother Charlie's wand, but then your Aunt Cynthia volunteered to get me my own." As Aunt Cynthia turned to the sound of her name, Ron nodded and said, "Thank you!"

"You are very welcome," Aunt Cynthia said softly. It was silent for a few moments more, until Ollivander waved his hand for Amanda to come up. Amanda blushed a bit in nervousness, but then straightened up and acted like she was nervous at all.

"Ash wood, phoenix feather, ten and half inches." Ollivander said as he held another wand ready, making Amanda shift a bit uneasily as the wand was set in her hands. Nothing happened until she waved her wand forward. Boxes flew out of the shelves they were set on and flew around the room for a few seconds before falling. Ollivander looked back to Amanda and shook his head.

"No, that's not it." said the old shopkeeper softly. "Definitely not." Then he waved his own wand and the boxes returned to their places and Ollivander put the phoenix feather wand back. He grabbed another wand after a few moments and returned to the counter, holding it out to Amanda.

"Hawthorn, dragon heartstring, nine inches." Ollivander said, watching as Amanda examined it. She swished it, a little more cautiously than the last time, and a whole three shelves of wands exploded as if they were hit with that spell "Reducto." Courtney had read about the spell and what it did, and that was exactly how the books explained it.

"That's not it either, then," murmured Ollivander as he carefully took that wand away as well. The shelves and boxes of wands returned to their normal state, and Courtney was now wondering how many cleaning spells this elder man would have to know to fix _all _of the repairs he must for a child to get their own wand.

Ollivander took a little longer picking up the next wand. He stared at it cautiously, and then looked to Amanda, who was now shaking a bit with wonder. Ollivander walked up to the counter with a puzzled, yet curious, look in his eyes. Amanda picked it up carefully and in instants her dark blonde hair flowed as if it were windy. Her skin seemed to turn a lighter color, and, at the moment, she seemed to be the prettiest girl Courtney had ever seen. Amanda gasped as she returned to normal and Ollivander sighed.

"What you are holding is a eleven inch rose wood Veela hair wand, one that I did not make myself." He paused and then shook his head. "I have long since decided that Veela hair's make for a temperamental wand, so I quit making them. This wand must be from one of my ancestors, which is a great honor indeed." He added as Amanda held her head high with pride and wonder. "You must handle this wand with care, Miss Coppin, because, as I said, it is very temperamental."

Amanda stepped back, examining her wand with further wonder. Kalayla stepped up shyly a few seconds later, probably torn from being shy and curious. Ollivander nodded and then went to grab another wand.

When he returned, Courtney heard a little bark of excitement come from Kalayla. She made sure to keep it quiet, but Courtney knew she couldn't help it.

"Birch, phoenix feather, eleven and and a half inches." Ollivander explained as Kalayla took the wand. She swished it towards a small glass of water near the counter, and it broke into pieces. The glass shattered as the water ran through the floor boards. Ollivander turned to Kalayla and smiled.

"That's not it, then," Ollivander was saying, looking as if he were trying to calculate things in his head. "Ah!" He said at last. "Maybe a kinder wand, then." He vanished behind the shelves and returned quickly with a smaller, yet darker wand than the last one.

Kalayla took it quickly, yet cautiously, and gave it a swift flick. A warmness seemed to come from her sister, and it seemed to make Kalayla feel at ease and very happy. A small whine of warmth confirmed it, and then Ollivander smiled with a kindness that Courtney had not yet seen.

"Ah, yes, of course. Out of three there is always the kindest and shiest." said Ollivander. "That wand is a elder wood unicorn hair nine inch. Very small, yes, but it is pure. Very much like you, I can see." Kalayla nodded in response and stepped back.

Courtney stepped forward, her head held high, showing her courage. Ollivander didn't get a wand at that moment, though. Instead, he looked to her other sisters and then looked back to her. He examined her a bit, and then went to go get wand. Courtney did not show her confusion, but she was definitely trying to decide what the old shopkeeper had been doing.

When he returned, he had two wands in his hand. One of them was a light brown while the other was nearly black. The black one was longer, and it seemed to draw her attention more than the second one. Ollivander noticed this and gave her the black wand. Courtney picked it up but didn't flick it.

Courtney felt warmer, yet lighter. She felt as if she could fly with this wand in her hand, like she could do anything with it. Courtney opened her eyes and found that there was a small lightning-blue light coming from the tip of her wand, and it made her feel powerful.

"That is what I thought," Ollivander explained, responding to her confusion as the blue light coming from the wand vanished. "You are the mysterious one. I brought out two wands to see which one would draw your attention. The dragon heartstring would have been if you were just shy and timid. However, I saw your eyes drawn to the thestral hair core, and I found myself unsurprised." He leaned a little closer and gave a warm smile. "The Sorting Hat is going to have fun with you, I bet."

Courtney nodded boldly, and then stepped back to her sister. Aunt Cynthia began paying as she listened to her sisters.

"We have wands!" Kalayla said at once. "We can finally do magic!"

"I got a wand that wasn't made by this Ollivander," Amanda said with a smirk. "You should be jealous."

"I'm not," Ron said. "I'm happy that I got my own wand."

It went on like that until they met the Weasley's at the robes store. It was a small store, but every one of the Weasley's fit. Aunt Cynthia told the lady at the counter what they were there for, and then Courtney was on a stool getting poked by sharp pins. She ignored it, and after what felt like hours Amanda got on.

By the time the Kalayla and the Weasley's got fitted for their robes, it was late in the afternoon. People still crowded the streets, and many of the younger Weasley's—mostly Ron, though Fred was in a close second—were complaining about being hungry. Aunt Cynthia was happy to suggest that they go to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour and treat them to some ice creams. Mrs. Weasley protested at first, but then she gave in.

When they got their Ice creams, Mrs. Weasley was thanking Aunt Cynthia kindly. "Thank you, Cynthia," said Mrs. Weasley, "How do you manage to buy all of this with those kids of yours?"

Aunt Cynthia chuckled. "Oh, John just sends money home," said the elder women. "He's always away and almost never home, but it keeps us going so he insists on keeping that job."

The conversation went on from there, but Courtney had a much happier time blocking out all of the talking and yelling. Courtney never liked crowded places, and rather enjoyed quiet abandoned fields.

After saying good-bye to the Weasley's, Aunt Cynthia led Courtney and the others toward Eyelops Owl Emprium where Courtney and Kalayla were going to get their owls. When they entered, Courtney was amazed of how many owls were there. There was small black ones that hooted as she walked by, and large dark brown ones that seemed to glare at her. A few white barn owls were hooting at Kalayla, and Courtney found that Kalayla was choosing of those birds. Her sister finally decided on a smaller white owl and started to whisper softly to it.

Courtney ignored Amanda's mutter about eating one of the smaller owls as they glared at her, and turned her attention to a large silver owl that stood proudly on the perch that he was on. Courtney stared at it a little longer and it looked away as if to say that she wasn't worthy for him. Courtney forced herself to look proudly as well and then looked away like the owl did to her. The owl looked back to her and hooted, and Courtney nodded.

"Have you chosen, Courtney?" Aunt Cynthia asked from the counter, where Kalayla was petting her newly bought white owl through her cage.

"Yes, I have," said Courtney, trying her hardest not to take her eyes off of the silver owl. "Can I have this one?" She didn't dare point at the owl, so she hoped Aunt Cynthia was able to follow her eyes. Courtney didn't know if Aunt Cynthia understood, but shopkeeper did.

"That one?" asked the small lady as she walked up to the silver owl. "You must be brave."

Courtney blinked and tore her eyes away from the bird as it nodded in acceptance. She then turned toward the shopkeeper and asked, "What do you mean?"

"That owl is a very proud bird," said the shopkeeper. "Prouder than most of the others, at least. He only eats when he wants to, and he gets moody sometimes." The lady paused for a bit but then shrugged. "He seems to have accepted you, though, so I see no problem if you buy him."

Courtney nodded and then watched as the shopkeeper grabbed the silver owl, gave it to her, and then took the money that Aunt Cynthia gave her with a quick and kind, "Thank you."

When they were Owl Empirum, Courtney quickly tried to name her new pet. The silver feathers of his remind Courtney of her own fur when she was in her snow leopard body, but she couldn't think of any that related to that. She kept in mind of his pride, and then decided. His name was going to be Vaylen. Vaylen was a spell often used to hide the blood that came from very nasty wounds in battle. Courtney thought it was a perfect name because the only person stupid enough to hide their blood and refuse to be healed would be someone trying to keep their precious pride.

"Do you like that name?" Courtney asked. "Is Vaylen okay?" The silver owl hooted in what Courtney took as a "yes" and nodded.

"Did you name your owl, Courtney?" Kalayla asked, Amanda beside her.

"His name is Vaylen," said Courtney simply. "For his pride." Kalayla nodded and then gestured toward her white owl.

"Her name is Kia," Kalayla said, answering Courtney's unasked question.

No more was said before they entered the Magical Menagerie. Inside, there were cages covering every inch of wall space, filled with noisy cats, rats, snails—which may or may not have been poisonous, Courtney couldn't tell—, ravens and a lots of other things. Courtney found a few owls, too, and saw Aunt Cynthia sigh as she saw them.

Amanda was instantly drawn toward a black cat that had a white line down between it's eyes that, after getting under the eyes, covered the cats muzzle and went down to make his chest and underbelly white. There were also a few white splotches, but other than that it was black.

Aunt Cynthia had already payed for the cat as Amanda asked if she could have it, and then the cat was taken out of it's cage. Th e tom cat purred in Amanda's hands and, as they walked out, Amanda had already picked out a name.

"Rio," said Amanda happily. "That's his name."

After this, the five went home. Courtney had hardly noticed Haley after Fred and George left. _Probably sulking, _Courtney thought. _She has been complaining about being left behind for two weeks already!_

* * *

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter, just my OC's**

Well_ hello everybody! This story has been finished for a few months now, but I've finally decided to post it due to my sisters constant bugging. So, thanks for reading, and if you could drop me a review **(NOT OF THE MISTAKES)** of all the good things you found in this story, I would be happy. So would my sisters. As I said before, I really don't want CC on this story because I have another one that I'm getting my CC from, and this one is just for fun. =) Thanks! _

**Courtney - **The Endless Hourglass

**Tiffany **- Eternal Love's Eclipse

**Haley - **Gymnastics Crazy

**Amanda - **My big sister

**Kalayla - **My other big sister

_If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! =)_


	2. Diveded At Last

"Come along dears," Mrs. Weasley said. "We don't want you to be late, no do we?"

Amanda followed her sisters—excluding Haley; she didn't want to be there, and the Weasley's were already in a hurry—and the six Weasley's as they made their way toward King Cross Station. Aunt Cynthia couldn't come because of something in the Ministry, so the Weasley's were taking them instead. They were late, as Ron said they always were, so they were in a hurry.

All of the Weasley's were in front of her, and she didn't like it. Well, Mrs. Weasley and Percy could be excused but she wanted to be ahead of the twins, Ron, and Ginny as well as her own siblings. It was her instinct to lead, almost, so she felt tied down as she strode behind Ron. Kalayla was behind Amanda, and Courtney was behind that. Amanda rolled her eyes as she noticed this. Courtney was always in the back, she noticed, and it was probably because of her protective instincts as well as her lack of ambition.

When they got to platform nine Amanda found herself a bit confused. There was no nine and three quarters, as her ticket had said, but then, wizards and witches always did weird things like this.

"Every year, packed with muggles, of course," Mrs. Weasley said as they assembled into what looked like a line, though it was sloppy.

Amanda's eyes turned as a black-haired boy walked up, his green eyes showing confusion. His black hair was untidy, which irritated Amanda a bit, and his glasses were round and also a little dusty looking. He was short, and he looked as if he were a muggle. The only interesting thing about him was a scar shaped like a lightning bolt, which was on his forehead.

Amanda hadn't noticed that Percy had left, not until Mrs. Weasley said, "Fred, you next,"

"I'm not Fred, I'm George," Fred, Amanda knew, said.

"Sorry, George, dear," Mrs. Weasly said as she shook her head. Amanda knew how Mrs. Weasley felt, a bit. When the only thing she saw was the back one of her sisters heads, they looked nearly the same. When Amanda noticed the shorter or longer hair, though, she knew.

"I'm only joking," Fred said as he got ready to go. "I am Fred." Then Fred was off, and Amanda watched as he ran right through the brick wall and disappeared. George followed soon after, and then Amanda switch her attention back over to the black-haired boy.

"Excuse me," the boy asked after a few moments of watching the Weasley's. Mrs. Weasley turned to see the boy and them smiled calmly.

"Hello, dear," She said kindly, "First time at Hogwarts? They are too," She gestured to Courtney, Amanda, Kalayla and Ron. Ron waved a little, and Kalayla smiled kindly. Courtney smiled, but then dropped it as her eyes rolled over the scar. Courtney stayed quiet, however, and then she just stared at the boy. Amanda rolled her eyes impatiently at her sister, and then waited for the boy to respond.

"Yes," said the boy, answering Mrs. Weasley question. "The thing is—the thing is, I don't know how to—"

"Get onto the platform?" Mrs. Weasley asked. The boy nodded slowly, nervousness in his eyes. "Not to worry," She said, "All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. Don't stop and don't be scared that you'll crash into it, that's very important," She added with a small grim smile, before she picked up her kind smile again. "Best to do it at a run if you're nervous. Go on, now, before Ron."

"Er—okay," said the boy, still looking a bit nervous. Amanda watched as he pushed his trolly around and the stared at the barrier. She felt a bit annoyed that he hesitated, which she would not have done. She just wanted to get onto the train and get to Hogwarts.

Then he ran straight through the barrier, and that left the others. Ron went afterwords, followed by Kalayla. Amanda knew Courtney wasn't going to volunteer, so she turned and faced the barrier. She jogged up to it and ran straight through to another platform.

Amanda quickly caught up with the Weasleys and the black-haired boy, Courtney close behind her. The new platform was packed with wizards and witches, young and old, adults and children. They were everywhere; saying good-bye, telling them a few last words, and waving as their children got onto the train. Amanda looked up to see a large sign that said Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock.

Amanda waited as Fred and George loaded up the black-haired boy's trunk, and then again as Kalayla and her own trunk was loaded. She took the lead once in the train, looking for either an empty compartment, or one with a red-head Weasley in it.

It took a while, but Amanda quickly found an empty compartment. Courtney, Kalayla, and Amanda got in and sat down in complete silence. Soon, however, the black-haired opened the compartment door nervously.

"Can I sit here? Or are you expecting more?" the boy asked. Courtney, who had already gotten a book, shrugged.

"Only us, so far, but you can come if you want." Courtney lowered the book so that her hazel green eyes showed. "Just to warn you, though, we might start yelling at each other, in a minute or two." The boy ignored what she said and then sat down on the seat opposite from the three of them. They automaticly sat on the same side, which was odd, but they wouldn't want to move now.

Courtney then began to read her book again, and Kalayla looked at the boy with interest. Amanda chose to look out the window until the compartment door opened again, and then she turned her attention back there again.

Ron stood in the door way, looking at the black-haired boy after glaring at the three of them. "Is this compartment full?"

"No, it's not," Kalayla said kindly, gesturing for Ron to sit on the side that the black-haired boy was on. Ron nodded in reply and sat down, looking at the boy in awe. He stared for a while, making Amanda roll her eyes again.

"Are you really Harry Potter?" Ron finally asked.

"I—"

"Of course he is," Courtney murmured, not taking her eyes off of the book. "He's got the scar, and he's eleven years old. How much evidence do you need?" Harry—well, that's who Amanda supposed he was—stared at Courtney as Ron glared at her again.

"Don't mind Courtney," Ron said, getting over the interruption. "She is always reading, and she probably knows all about you and You-Know-Who."

"I don't know much," Courtney said, lowering the book again. "Those books are so boring, so I don't really read through them thoroughly. I _do_ know how you got the scar, and I _do_ know who You-know-who is, and even a bit about what he did in his prime." Harry still stared, but Ron interrupted it again.

"So, do you remember anything about _that _night?" He asked. Courtney rolled her eyes.

"Why would he?" Courtney asked, irritation flaring in her voice. "He was a year old, Ron. Do _you _remember anything from when you a year old?" Ron folded his arms, but didn't say anything. Courtney then returned to her book, leaving Ron to pout.

"Well, anyway," Amanda said, breaking the silence. "I'm Amanda, and beside me is Kalayla. Courtney's over there reading the book, as you know, and Ron is our friend." She looked at Ron and then shrugged again. "You could say that, at least, anyway. Our Aunt and Uncle our friends with his family so we're forced to be with them." Harry, for some reason, lit about a bit about this.

"You live with your aunt and uncle?" Harry asked. As Amanda nodded, he lit up a bit more. "I do too, though I would think that your aunt and uncle are nicer than mine."

"They are very nice!" Kalayla said at once. "Our mother was lucky to have her as a sister, I think. I remember our father thanking her, once, though that was a while ago. I think we were five. It was right before—"

Amanda hissed, nearly snake like, and narrowed her eyes at Kalayla. Courtney winced a bit as Amanda hissed, but then she noticed her hazel eyes were dark as they looked at Kalayla, her lips forming a frown. Courtney was angry, but also sad; Amanda knew the expression on her sister's face when she had those two emotions wandering in her mind. Amanda understood why Courtney felt those emotions, though. If Kalayla said anymore, their secret would be no longer. Kalayla's head lowered like a scolded puppy, and Amanda turned away slowly. Courtney still stared, but her eyes were cloudy, as if she were lost in thought. Amanda hissed again, this time meaning to sound a little like a snake, and then Courtney blinked and looked away.

Amanda was glad that a small squeak from Ron's pocket distracted Harry, even if it was what she thought it was.

"Oh, that would be Scabbers," Ron explained, bringing out a small rat from his pockets. "My rat."

Amanda only had a few moments notice before Rio woke up from his nap and locked his eyes on the rat. Harry jumped in surprise, and Ron held Scabbers up. Amanda soothed the cat by stroking his sleek fur and gave a small hissing sound as a warning. Rio growled lowly, but then lied back down, his eyes not leaving the rat.

Harry and Ron talked together, mostly ignoring the three of them. Courtney had continued reading, Kalayla had started playing a bit with Rio, and Amanda just listened to Harry. Apparently his aunt and uncle _were _horrible, from the looks of it, but they at least took care of him.

The trolley came, and Kalayla shyly got up and payed for a few treats with her money from their parents. Amanda pushed the thought away as soon as it came, refusing to think of that conversation. Amanda shared a few treats with Courtney, who didn't seem very fond of eating, and Harry got some things to share with Ron.

Harry then picked up a Chocolate Frog and studied it for a bit before looking at Ron. "What are these?" He asked. After looking at them for a few moments more he shook his head. "They're not _really _frogs, are they?"

"No, but check the card," Ron said. "I'm missing Agrippa."

As Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card, Amanda saw his face light up again. "So _this _is Dumbledore!" Harry said, looking at the card in awe.

After a few more Chocolate frogs, Harry picked up a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans and Amanda shuddered to think of what would happen.

"You might want to be careful with those," Ron warned. "When they say every flavor, they _mean _it."

"Yeah," Kalayla said, finally speaking up. "I think I got a dog food one once, but I couldn't tell." She blushed and then said, "I'd already eaten it." Ron laughed at this, and Harry chuckled a bit.

A few hours later the compartment door opened again, and a round faced boy stood in the door way.

"Sorry," said the boy. "but have any of you seen a toad anywhere?" Amanda sniffed as quietly as she could to see if she could smell the toad from within the compartment, but it was nearly impossible. Courtney and Kalayla did as well, Amanda noticed as she nodded.

"Well, if you see him. . ." Then the boy left, shutting to door behind him.

"I hope his toad turns up," Kalayla said absently. "It would be a shame to hear something like that happening on the first day of school." Amanda scoffed.

"Better find that toad quick," she muttered as Harry and Ron's attention was drawn away by talking about Scabbers. "I might just slip back into a snake and eat it."

"You wouldn't," Courtney growled under her breath. "Because if you do, you might as well stay on the train." Amanda rolled her eyes again, realizing her sister was still thinking about _that _night. Amanda shuddered and dismissed the thought away again.

"Do you want to see a spell I learned from Fred and George?" Ron asked Harry, catching Amanda's attention. Harry nodded with fascination, probably please to see one of the first few spells he ever has in his life.

Ron then looked for his new wand, happy to have something to do. When he found it, he began explaining to Harry what his wand was. "I would have had to get a hand-me-down from Charlie if it wasn't for their Aunt Cynthia," Ron was saying.

He had just risen his wand when the compartment door opened, leaving everyone in it looking at the bushy haired girl who stood before them.

"Has anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one." The girl said, her eyes showing intellect. She was already in her Hogwarts robes, Amanda noticed, and she looked ready to get Sorted. They all shook their heads again, and then watched the bushy haired girl. She then realized that Ron was holding a wand, and then lit up.

"Oh, are you doing magic?" She asked. "Let's see it, then." Ron hesitated, but then cleared his throat.

"_Sunshine, daisies,butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." _He recited, leaving Amanda to nearly choke as she heard it. That was no spell and she knew it, even as Scabbers continued to sleep.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" The bushy haired girl asked. "Well, it's not very good, is it?" She smiled in a bragging way, and then held her head high with pride. "I've tried a few simple ones myself—just for practice, of course—and they've all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, so it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft and wizardry there is, I've heard—I've learned all of our course books by heart, of course, but I just hope it will be enough—I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. Who are you?"

"Wow," Amanda said, half sarcasticly, half in awe. "You're on the road to thinking like Tiffany. You seem to have read more books than Courtney."

"Shut it," Courtney said, a little louder than normal. "She asked us to introduce ourselves."

"Fine, fine." Amanda hissed back, ignoring Courtney's flinch. She turned and gestured to her sisters. "The one with the book is Courtney, and beside me is Kalayla. I'm Amanda, and we're triplets. We've all been accepted to Hogwarts, and we live with our aunt and uncle. Our last name is Coppin, if you were wondering, and we have a older sister—who's also in Hogwarts. She is a sixth year, Head girl, Ravenclaw, and has read every book in the Hogwarts Library." Amanda smirked as she saw awe in Hermione's face. "We have a younger sister who will be joining next year, and is friends with Fred and George Weasley. Don't get her mad," She warned. "Or you'll want to run." She then looked to Harry and Ron. "The red-head is Ronald Weasley, our Aunt's family friend, and at his side is Harry Potter, The-Boy-Who-Lived and—"

"Holy Cricket!" Hermione said. "You _are _Harry Potter! I was wondering when I saw you, and now that I've seen the scar—I've read so much about you, in so many books. Wonderful thing you did, by the way." Amanda, a little hurt about getting interrupted, was hissing in the snake-language that she could speak, trying hard not to transform and bite Hermione.

Courtney noticed this at last, but did not ignore it like Amanda had hoped. She slapped the book down on her lap, making a noise that interrupted even Hermione's talking, and glared at Amanda.

"_Will you stop that?" _Courtney demanded, her eyes showing anger, her voice showing irritation, and her eyes showing dominance. It was a mistake, Amanda noticed, because now everyone in the compartment was looking at them.

"Stop what?" Amanda asked, probably irritating Courtney further. Courtney sneered, but then returned to her book, muttering something that no one could here. Amanda was quite happy that Courtney did that, now, because it had upset Hermione to the point that she stood up and then sighed.

"Well, I better continue looking for Neville's toad." After that, she left, leaving Amanda in peace. Harry and Ron began talking to each other again, leaving Amanda and Courtney to have a glaring contest.

"What?" Amanda said, figuring she better break the contest before they get to Hogwarts. Courtney scoffed.

"You know very well what." Courtney muttered lowly. "That hissing of yours not only could have cost us the secret, but could have cost me my sanity as well," Courtney was over exaggerating, Amanda knew, so that part didn't bother her. "Quit it until I'm out of the room, alright? If you blow our secret, at least it won't be my fault."

"Okay." Amanda said cheerfully, as if every insult just given was a compliment. Amanda knew this irritated Courtney a lot, and so she decided to use it. Courtney just sneered again, to Amanda's disappointment, and then continued reading the book.

After about a half and hour of silence—aside from Harry and Ron's chatting about Quittitch—the compartment door opened_ again_ for three boys to watch Harry stare. The boy in front was a pale boy with white-blonde hair. Harry seemed to recognize him a little, at least, but not the very large boys behind him.

"So is it true then?" the pale boy asked. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment." He then looked to Harry. "And you would be him, would you not."

"Why would you ask such a stupid question?" Courtney asked, irritated in a playful kind of way. "He's got the scar, and I know you can see it, _and _it's been ten years since You-know-who's been defeated, has it not? Or are you three too stupid to notice these things?" Amanda smirked as the pale boy narrowed his eyes. This was about to get fun.

The pale boy turned to face Courtney. "And who might you three be? Friends of the Weasel?" Amanda knew that meant Ron, and then caught on to the insult. She frowned.

"We are, in fact, but that's none of your business." Courtney said. "You're a Malfoy from the looks of it. That Draco boy, then?" Ron sniggered, making the Malfoy boy look at him.

"Think my names funny, do you?" the Malfoy boy asked. He examined Ron a bit and smirked. "No need to ask who you are, Weasel. Red hair, freckles, and hand-me-down robes. They're all the same." the pale boy then turned to Courtney and her sisters. "Hmm, my father never talked of many wizarding families, but you three seem familiar. . ." After a few moments his eyes lit up and he put another smirk on his face. "Ah," he said. "You're all Coppins. Parent's met the same fate that Potter's did, didn't they?"

Amanda hissed, and this time Courtney did not glare or scold her. Courtney was glaring at Malfoy as well, but Kalayla seemed to be shying away a bit.

"When was it. . .five years ago? Greyback and Aunt Bella came—"

"_Aunt_?" Courtney, Amanda, _and _Kalayla asked at the same time. Amanda narrowed her eyes as Malfoy smirked. They'd given him exactly what he wanted.

"Yes," the Malfoy boy said. "My _aunt." _

Amanda hissed a word in her snake-language loud enough for only Malfoy to hear, leaving the pale boy with a shocked expression. Courtney and Kalayla heard, of course, making Amanda shift uncomfortably, but it gave her the advantage she needed. The Malfoy boy didn't speak.

"What's the matter?" Amanda asked. "Cat got your tongue?" She paused and then whispered, "or a snake, perhaps?"

Malfoy's eyes widened in disbelief. Amanda smirked at this, and soon the three boys were gone. Amanda sat back down with pride showing in her eyes. Courtney returned to her book as the others sat down, and Kalayla was shaking a bit with nervousness.

"How did you do that?" Ron asked immediately. Amanda shrugged.

"Just a few scary threats send them all running in the end," Amanda explained. Her face darkened a bit as she thought of it, though. "I probably should have kept what I said unspoken, but he said things he shouldn't have."

Harry's eyes were on Amanda, asking a question through his expression that she knew would be hard to answer. Courtney saved her moments later.

"Yes," Her sister said. "Everything Malfoy said was true. I would advise you to forget about it, though, because we are _not _going to talk about it." Harry nodded in understanding and then listening to Ron and what he had to say about the Malfoy family.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All right there, Harry?"

Amanda watched as the large man waved the small first years toward him. Harry nodded to the man, and then explained to Ron and the three of them that the large man's name was Rubius Hagrid. The five walked over to the large man, and waited for the other first years.

It had been a silent trip the rest of the way, and now that they were off of the train Amanda felt a little better. Courtney still wore a dark expression, but Kalayla seemed to forget all about it. She looked around curiously, like a puppy, and seemed to bark a bit as she saw Hagrid.

Amanda watched as Hagrid led them down a dark path. Just by sniffing she could tell that everyone around her was nervous and even a little scared. She smirked at this. She had been in a darker place than this every full moon, so it wasn't a surprise that she wasn't nervous or scared. Amanda knew that Courtney and Kalayla felt the same.

"Almos' to Hogwarts," Hagrid said loudly over his shoulder. Soon, the narrow path opened so that everyone could see the edge of a deep, black lake. Across from it, on top of a large mountain, was a castle with many towers and that alone had caught everyone's attention.

Hagrid led them to a fleet of boats, yelling something about only four in a boat. Courtney, Kalayla, and Amanda got in one, but no one stepped in with them. Amanda figured it was because the three of them seemed to know each other, but she couldn't tell for sure.

They moved forward through the lake, then, and Amanda made her head stay high so that she didn't catch a sight in the lake. Her snake eyes could see many things that normal humans could not, and she would rather just stay normal at the moment.

Soon they reached the shore and climbed out of their boats, following Hagrid again. The more closer she to the castle, the more excited Amanda got. The castle grew so large that Amanda was wondering if she would be able to memorize it.

_Some for my snake eyes to see, I'm thinking. _

Hagrid then pounded on what looked like the castle door. A few seconds later, a tall black-haired witch in green robes opened the doors.

"Firs' years," Hagrid introduced. "This is Professor McGonagall." The tall witch then looked at Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid." said Professor McGonagall . "I will take them from here." As Hagrid left, the Professor led the first years through the Entrance Hall. It was very large, Amanda noticed, but it was neat and pretty. There were stone walls lit with flaming torches that flickered at Amanda as she went by. They settled in a small room off to the left, though Amanda knew that to the right of them was the Great Hall, as Tiffany called it.

As Professor McGonagall turned to face the first years again, everyone went quiet. The stern look on the Professor's face must have made them quiet, Amanda figured, so it was only right of she was silent as well.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," McGonagall said. "The Welcoming Feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will need to be sorted into your Houses. The Sorting ceremony is very important because, while your here, your house will be like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has it's own noble history and each has produced outstanding wizards and witches. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you house points, while any rule-breaking with loose you points." Her eyes settled on Amanda and her sisters for a moment, but then took them off. "At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the House cup, a great honor. I hope each of you becomes credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting ceremony will take place in a few moments in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting." Professor McGonagall looked around one more time before saying, "I shall return for you when the Headmaster is ready." Then she left the room. Amanda waited, knowing that most people here were nervous, and knew full well she was not. The muggleborns—maybe even Harry as well—wouldn't know what the Sorting ceremony actually was, and they would have a right to be nervous. Amanda knew about the ceremony, though, so she kept quiet and waited patiently.

McGonagall returned shortly after, standing in the door way of the small room. "Move along now," the Professor said. "The Sorting Ceremony is about to start."

The first years were slowly making their way to the door, but none of them would be able to fit unless they formed a line, Amanda realized. Then, McGonagall said, "Form a line and follow me."

The professor took the lead, and then a line of students followed. Amanda refrained from pushing in front and stayed with her sisters. Then, they entered the Great Hall.

Four tables were pointing vertically toward the staff table, which was pointed horizontally. Loads of students sat on each table, and on the staff table the Headmaster smiled at his students. The ceiling was black and dotted with stars. Though Amanda knew this wasn't real, she still found in mesmerizing.

Beside an empty seat—obviously Professor McGonagall's—a greasy haired man stared. Amanda didn't like him at the moment, but he looked like a Slytherin so she couldn't judge yet.

When they stopped near the staff table, Amanda felt her heart beating. She knew she was going to either Gryffindor or Slytherin, but if she got into Hufflepuff she was doomed. What would they do, if they accidently found out she was a snake as well? At least Slytherin would worship her, because she was a snake and that was the snake house.

Then Professor McGonagall brought out a stool and the Sorting at. As she set it carefully on the stool, Amanda listened as it sang:

"_Oh you think I'm not pretty,_

_But down judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your tops hats sleek and tall,_

_For I am the Hogwarts Sorting hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you _

_Where you need to be_

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw,_

_If you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin,_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap! _

_You're in safe hands(though I have none)_

_For I am a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole Hall behind Amanda burst into applause as the hat finished his song. Amanda felt bright again, and then watched as McGonagall started calling some first years over to get sorted.

Hannah Abbot was called up first, and then she was put in Hufflepuff. Susan Bones followed her. Millicent Bulstrode was a Slytherin, according to the hat, and Amanda watched as she went, hoping that she would do the same in only a matter of time. It wasn't long before her name was called.

"Coppin, Amanda!" Professor McGonagall called. Amanda made her way through the crowd of first years with a proud expression on her face. She was almost certain that she would be put in Slytherin now, so there was no need to worry.

Amanda sat down on the stool and shivered a bit as the hat was placed on her head. It was heavy, but it was her only way to Slytherin so she waited.

It whispered inside her head, or so that's what it felt like. The hat was eagerly trying to decide which house she'd be in.

"Ambition, yes," it said as it searched. "but you are brave, and you are daring. Gryffindor is suitable, but your cunning mind and sneaky self would be a waste in such a place. Besides, Slytherin is where you've wanted to go, so. . ." It paused for a second, but then sighed a bit.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Amanda took the hat off happily and strode down to the Slytherin table where there was several people cheering. She sat down by that girl Millicent and watched McGonagall. Her sisters would be up next.

"Welcome, Amanda," One of the older years whispered as she watched. "Now lets just hope the others are the same."

Courtney watched as Amanda went to Slytherin, finding it a bit funny, in fact. Malfoy watched in shock as Amanda got sorted, though he had not been sorted yet. The boy would probably go to Slytherin as well, and would have to live with a Parseltongue that was in his own house, though he must have known a Parseltongue would go in Slytherin, or he actually _was _and idiot.

"Coppin, Courtney!" Professor McGonagall called, making Courtney jump. She'd forgotten that she was also getting sorted, and that her name was next.

Courtney walked up to the stool, sat down, and let the hat be set on her head. Courtney disliked it from the moment she saw it, but right now it was even worse. She felt confined and unable to be free, which always irritated her. The hat kept shifting, and Courtney didn't know how long it was before the hat stopped.

"Interesting," it said. "Very interesting. Though cunning you may be, you lack the ambition. You are daring, yes, but bravery is not much. Loyal and protective, yet not at all open to many. You are mysterious, yes, and you have your wits." Courtney tensed a bit as she realized everyone in the Great Hall was listening to this, making her put on an emotionless expression and look out toward the four house tables.

"Very tough for a sorting hat like me to sort you, very tough indeed. No matter how I look at it, you're always the same. A little here, a little there. You could be in all four houses." He paused and then shifted again, but only for a moment this time.

"RAVENCLAW!" it finally called, making Courtney jump again. Courtney set the hat down and then walked over to the Ravenclaw table, where she sat near her sister.

"Never seen the Sorting Hat do _that _before," Courtney heard someone further down the table whisper. "But I guess it all depends on the person."

"Good job," Tiffany said before Courtney could think about that. "The Ravenclaws are going to love you."

Courtney ignored this and wondered absently about how they were going to meet after the Welcoming Feast if they were all in different houses. Courtney shook the thought out of her head and then looked up at Kalayla. It would be a shame to miss where her own sister was sorted.

Kalayla was nervous now. She had thought all of her sisters would go in the same house, like the Weasley's, but apparently not. Amanda had proudly gone to Slytherin, and Courtney had finally gone to Ravenclaw after the hat decided. Now that she thought about it, Hufflepuff would probably be the house she would be sorted into, but it was a bit scary to think of being alone after eleven years of being together.

The hat recovered from being so stumped, then and McGonagall called out, "Coppin, Kalayla!"

Kalayla jumped and nearly barked in surprise as her name was called. She recovered quickly, though, and walked over to the stool and sat. The large hat was then placed on her head—no, wait, it wasn't even placed. It touched her head only so slightly, and then it yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Kalayla jumped at that, too, but then took the hat off and walked quickly over to the Hufflepuff table where she sat down quietly and waited. This was going to be odd, to be alone, and if Haley was going to be sorted into Gryffindor, which she most likely was going to be, than they had to be the strangest wizarding family in Britain.

Amanda clapped as Kalayla was sorted into Hufflepuff, still chuckling a bit as she replayed Courtney's sorting in her head again. In Courtney's point of view, it probably wasn't that funny. However, in Amanda's, it was. Courtney loved being mysterious and for people to know almost nothing about her. Now, however, everyone in the Great Hall had learned who she was, and Amanda couldn't help thinking that the Sorting hat did this on purpose.

Amanda watched as a few more got sorted. Hermione got sorted to Gryffindor, Amanda noticed, and she felt relieved after that. When Draco Malfoy was called up, the hat barely toughed a hair on his head before it called out Slytherin. Amanda waved and hissed a bit as Malfoy went by, making him nearly trip and sit as far away from her as possible. Amanda smirked; she loved playing with her prey.

A girl called Pansy Parkinson joined her and sat with her a few moments later, her eyes looking relieved. Amanda smiled at her, but then continued watching. Harry would be next soon.

"Potter, Harry!"

Then the whispers began. Amanda hoped that one of them included her; she _was _in the same compartment with him throughout the whole train right, wasn't she?

Finally, Millicent nudged her and said, "There was a rumor that you were in the same compartment as Potter. Is that true?" Amanda nodded.

"I was," Amanda replied. "Though he wasn't as interesting as everyone makes him out to be."

Harry took forever to get sorted. Not as long as Courtney, perhaps, but it was long. Amanda found it a little insulting that he didn't want to go to Slytherin, but she pushed the emotion away. When he went to Gryffindor, Hermione and the Weasley's welcomed him, nearly all of them sneering at the Slytherin table.

A few more Slytherins were added, and then came the food. Amanda ate all she wanted, but then she started thinking about the meeting afterwords with the Headmaster and Professor McGonagall. Both of them would be the first to know about their secret—well, first to know that weren't related to them, anyway—and they would probably ask what each of them turn into, since Aunt Cynthia hadn't told them that many details in case they didn't get accepted.

"I assume your pureblood as well?"

Amanda blinked back to reality and then nodded. "My Uncle and Aunt are too, though they came from France. Never knew a thing about Hogwarts until my older sister Tiffany entered." Millicent ignored her after that, which Amanda was partly grateful for.

Amanda turned her attention to Malfoy, who was bragging. "Mother said that I used my magic for the first time when I was three," he was saying. "I made a vase disappear, and then later that day I levitated my fathers wand."

"Wow," A boy called Blaise Zabini said. "I used magic for the first time when I was seven, but I just to make my finger nail blue."

"Courtney, Kalayla and I used our magic for the first time at the same time." Amanda interrupted, though she knew she wasn't welcome in this conversation. "We each called a cookie over to our plates because we all wanted one. Our aunt said that, because we used the same sort of magic at the same exact time, it was stronger. We did a lot of things like that when we were little, though we can't do it again now that we were sorted into different houses."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes and glared at her as she finished, and the others just stared. After a few moments, however, they went on talking. Amanda found herself proud, though not as much as she had hoped.

Dumbledore stood up soon, getting everyone's attention. "Ahem—there is a few start-of-term notices I would like to give you all," the Headmaster said. "First years should know that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. Even some of our older students would do well to remember that too." Dumbledore's eyes looked from Amanda, to Courtney, to Kalayla, and then to the Weasley twins. Amanda knew his message. The forest wasn't forbidden to them, because they needed to transform every month or so, but it wasn't open to the Weasley twins. Amanda could understand this.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, our caretaker, that no magic shall be used between classes or in the corridors." Dumbledore's eyes settled on the Weasley twins this time, but then he continued. "Quidditch trials will be held on the second week of term. Anyone wishing to play for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch." He paused again, as if he were thinking of something, but then continued. "And lastly, I must tell you that the third floor one the right had side is out of bounds to anyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

After that, it was silent, but only for a few seconds. Dumbledore made them sing a song that Amanda only tried to sing a few times, because she didn't know the song, and then they were off to bed—or at least everyone else was.

Amanda walked quickly and caught up to the Slytherin boy prefect before they left the Great Hall.

"Excuse me," said Amanda softly, so that no one behind her could hear her. "The Headmaster wanted to talk to me before I went off to bed. Can I leave?" Probably not the best choice of words, Amanda thought, but it was the best she could come up with.

The prefect sighed, and then said, "Yes, I got a notice of that before the Welcoming feast," he explained. He then reached the other prefect and explained briefly that he had to take Amanda to the Headmasters office, and that she had to do whatever it was they did with the first years alone. The girl prefect nodded in understanding, and then continued to lead the first years out of the Great Hall.

The boy prefect led Amanda out of the Great Hall and down a large hall. After several minutes, two more prefects and Amanda's sisters showed up. Courtney put on her normal emotionless expression, while Kalayla looked as if she were going to transform and run all the way to the Headmaster's office.

The Ravenclaw prefect seemed annoyed, though he didn't show it, really. The Hufflepuff prefect seemed a little proud of herself, though that was just to hide her nervousness. Amanda found it fitting that the Slytherin prefect looked as if he'd rather be elsewhere, since this had nothing to do with him.

When they got to the end of the hall, a gargoyle statue was in the way, though it looked like there was a stair case behind it. The Ravenclaw prefect was the one who murmured out a word that was obviously the password, and then the gargoyle moved.

"We'll wait down here for you," said the Ravenclaw prefect. "Just don't take too long."

Amanda, Courtney, and Kalayla all climbed up the stairs silently, probably wondering the same thing. The stair case wasn't long, but it wasn't short either. Didn't matter, though, because Amanda was too busy trying to recognize the two other people in the room. Courtney and Kalayla seemed to notice as well, because they both paused and looked at each other. Courtney now had a scowl on her face, and Kalayla seemed even more nervous.

Then they opened the door to the office, and Amanda saw Severus Snape, the potions Professor that Haley received the Wolfsbane potion from, a plump lady that looked as if she'd rolled in dirt, and a small man who must have been the Charms professor, since Tiffany's description fit the man perfectly. Which also meant, to Amanda's surprise, that the small man was the Head of Ravenclaw.

Then she knew exactly why the three professors were there. Professor Snape was the Head of Slytherin—Amanda's house—the small man, called Professor Flitwick, was the Head of Ravenclaw—Courtney's house—and the plump lady must have been the Head of Hufflepuff, Kalayla's house.

Courtney caught on, Amanda knew, but for some reason she still said, "I thought this meeting was private, Headmaster." Her voice was darker than usual, and Snape and McGonagall seemed to notice. Snape glared a bit, and McGonagall tensed.

Dumbledore took no notice. "Ah, yes, but that was before you were all sorted into different houses." said the Headmaster smoothly. "Quite remarkable, I must say. I had assumed that the Ravenclaw house would have at least two of you joining them, but it seems I was wrong." Courtney narrowed her eyes tighter at this.

"You must have known, if you gave a notice to the three prefects who brought us here." Courtney argued, her voice still a little dark. Kalayla was showing more nervousness now, and Amanda found herself amused. Courtney was smarter than to get herself in trouble, but yet here she was, arguing with the Headmaster.

"I took all of the possibilities into account, Miss Coppin, and alerted all of the prefects." Dumbledore countered, leaving Courtney to stay silent. He smiled gently and then gestured toward the three professors that Amanda hadn't planned on seeing. "They are here because they are your Head of House, and must know about what you are. After all, next year you will disappear every full moon with your sister, will you not?"

"You mean you're actually letting it into the school next year?" Professor Snape asked, a little bit of shock in his eyes. Dumbledore nodded.

"Yes, Severus, I will. The Wolfsbane potion keeps her in her right mind, and her sisters are there if anything goes wrong." Dumbledore explained, a smile still on his face.

Snape scoffed and then said, "They are only just first years today, Headmaster, how on earth can they restrain something like _that_?"

"That is what they are here to explain to us, Severus." Dumbledore said lightly, before looking back to them. "And I would like for them to start, now." The five adults in the room then turned there attention to Amanda and her sisters. It was silent for only a few moments before Courtney decided to explain.

"Most of you know what happened to our parents five years ago, but if you don't you can talk to the Headmaster." She closed her eyes for only a moment before opening them and continuing. "Greyback and Bellatrix, still both angry at their lords fall, came looking for revenge. I don't know what our parents did to make them a target, but they did.

"We had already shown signs of having magic, but nothing abnormal. We were normal, then, but once Greyback and Bellatrix attacked we were far from that. Greyback went for our parents first, and then after they were finished turned to us. None of us knew any magic to defend ourselves, so we ran. Haley, our younger sister, took Greyback's bite. A little reminder to you all, that this attack was purposely on the night of the full moon." Amanda watched as the plump lady and Professor Flitwick's eyes grew wide, and the others did there best to act like this wasn't a big shock. Snape was at least telling the truth. He knew of Haley, just not of the other three.

"The wildness in the air that night froze the three of us after that, and we had no idea what was happening," Courtney continued. "And no more than a few moments did the three of us transform into animals. We fought off Greyback the best we could, using every weapon we had in these new bodies. Haley was still in pain, and when our sisters are threatened or already in pain, we try our hardest to stop it.

"I only remember glimpses of what happened afterword. Aunt Cynthia came, and then a bunch of other unfamiliar wizards and witches. Haley was still wounded, and so were we, a little. We'd—"

"If you were bitten," interrupted Snape. "Than how come you aren't werewolves as well?"

Courtney glared at him and then shook her head. "We are immune." She put simply, leaving Snape to stare a bit, and then continued.

"We'd transformed before anyone noticed, so it was a shock that we survived. However, Aunt Cynthia had gotten there before we turned back, and knew right away that Haley was a werewolf. She somehow managed to make the other wizards believe that Greyback had not been there, and that Haley had suffered from a spell, not a bite. She took us in after that, and every full moon since that we have been helping her by going to a near by forest, transforming, and keeping her from running off. It helps all of us, really," she added. "Every few months we have to transform, or it will be disastrous."

There was silence for a long time, and Amanda had fun watching the professors expression change. Dumbledore's expression wasn't very thorough, so Amanda couldn't exactly tell what he was thinking or feeling. McGonagall's expression was that of sympathy and fear, which Amanda could understand. The same expression was on Professor Flitwick, and the plump lady, but Snape showed nothing of it. He was halfway between disgust and shock. Probably displeased that Haley was actually coming to Hogwarts, and yet shocked that he hadn't realized what they were.

"Thank you for explain this, Miss Coppin." Dumbledore said, also getting bored of the silence. "However, before I can set up any rules on this, I think it would appropriate to see what you are, though a description wouldn't be enough."

Amanda hissed a bit at this. She didn't want to show others of their secret, though she could tell them of it. Courtney looked at her, though, and gave her a warning look. Amanda glared back, Courtney nodded, and then her sister turned to Dumbledore.

"I'm afraid we would rather wait for that, Headmaster," Courtney said. "After all, you and the other Professors are the first—aside from our family, of course—who has been told this, and all our instincts are telling us to hide."

"But we won't know how to stop the transformation if we don't see it, am I correct?" Dumbledore asked, curiosity in his eyes.

"Well of course not," Amanda said this, being bored of just sitting there. "You won't get any warning of we transform accidentally, unless you know which emotion we're feeling and how strong that emotion is."

Snape narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?" Amanda turned to him and shrugged.

"Hard to say, really. I'm only going on what I know." Amanda explained. "The only time we've accidentally transformed is when we were feeling one emotion a bit too much. Anger is the main emotion, but there are others. Kalayla turned into her dog form when she was sad one time. Forgot why, but she just howled all night. Irritation usually strikes at Courtney, but I don't know about mine." She paused and then said, "Sometimes minor things happen for warning. Kalayla growls or whines, Courtney growls, too, and I hiss. Though—"

"What exactly are you?" Snape asked. "In your transformed body, of course." Amanda grinned at this.

"A snake, of course." said Amanda cheerfully. "That's why I was so proud to get Sorted into Slytherin." Snape seemed surprised for only a few seconds, but then he put on a proud expression that told Amanda he was happy to actually have a snake in his House.

"A snake that chooses her venom, Professor Snape," Courtney warned lightly. "Very useful, when it comes to restraining and protecting Haley."

"Yes, indeed, Miss Coppin," said Snape, looking at Courtney. "Your transformation helps too, I assume?"

"Well enough, Professor Snape. A snow leopard is very helpful." Courtney said, smiling. Amanda again grew amused at her sister's playful conversational game. "Though I have to say, a dog is helpful, also. Don't you agree?" Courtney said, gesturing toward Kalayla who squeaked, but then held her head high.

"Miss Coppin," That was Professor McGonagall, and she obviously wanted to join in on the coversation. "If you are telling us this, then why can't you show us?"

"Like I said," explained Courtney as she turned toward McGonagall. "Our instincts our telling us to hide. We can tell you, smoothly, because we are not telling the whole truth. If we were to show you, you would know everything secret about us, and nothing irritates me more than being known."

"And what do you mean by not showing us the whole truth?" The plump lady asked, her voice wavering a bit. Kalayla answered this, probably feeling it was best since the lady was her Head of House.

"Professor Sprout," Kalayla began. "We have not yet told you what color my coat is when I am in my canine body. We have not yet told you about what color or detail the scales of Amanda's transformation give. We have not yet told you the color of Courtney's spots when she is a snow leopard. We have not told you the _whole _truth, but we have told you enough."

"Perhaps in time," Courtney said, continuing on with a speech probably in mind. "we will be able to show you, or you will know accidentally. However, at the moment, I think being in the shadows is the best for me."

"I couldn't help but notice, Miss Coppin," said Flitwick, catching Courtney's attention. "that you were talking as if the three of you were one, and then you switched to taking separately just now."

"We do that often," Courtney said at once. "We are triplets."

"And what is that about the shadows?" Flitwick asked.

Courtney smiled, and then said, "It is merely stating that I want to remain unknown and nearly forgotten, as it is what I like best. I do not want everyone to know everything about me. That would end badly, if I were in battle."

Silence is what followed. Amanda found it funny, as she watched them, that they had made such an impression. Courtney had clearly shown her Head of House that she was smart enough for Ravenclaw, and Kalayla had shown that she was patient and loyal to those she had set her loyalty on. Amanda, of course, had shown her personality as much as Courtney, and had shown her cunning mind. She had also made Snape proud, which was probably harder than most things, and now he could gloat about having a real snake in his House.

"Very well," Dumbledore said finally, "That is all we need to know. Please meet your house prefects down stairs and leave for your dormitories." He looked at all three of them for a moment. "Expect a letter from me on the first of term." With that, the three of them left.

Amanda noticed, as they left the office, that Courtney was smiling in triumph. Amanda had no idea why, though she had a hint. Kalayla seemed happy, too, and a lot less nervous. Amanda, herself, was happy and proud that she had made an impression on at least half of her professors.


	3. A Certain Potions Master

Courtney sat with a bored expression on her face. It had been a little while since Amanda's adventure, and she had begun to feel as if Hermione was a little bug that was never going to go away. She kept asking stupid questions like what it's like when she transformed, no matter how fast it was, or if she hunted or not. Amanda, not to Courtney's surprise, was also getting annoyed. Kalayla hadn't been asked anything because she kept disappearing. Probably to the Forbidden Forest, but Hermione would never know that.

Courtney sighed as she realized that it had been exactly two months ago that she and her sisters had been Sorted in their houses. Time flew as she studied and did homework in the Library, not to mention her time in the Forbidden Forest. It was beginning to be a daily thing, now, and it felt great. The centaurs ignored her, and everything else saw her and fled. Now, she felt normal, and all of her animal instincts were sleeping soundly within her. Courtney also noticed that she got irritated a lot less, and that her boredom was cured.

At the moment, Courtney was in charms and she was absently watching as the class tried to levitate the single feather laid before them. She hadn't tried, simply because she was more interested in trying to decide whether that Seamus Finnigan boy was going to blow up the classroom again.

"Now don't forget that nice wrist movement we've been practicing," Courtney's Head of House was saying to the rest of the class. "Swish and flick, remember. Swish and flick. Saying the magic words is important, also—don't forget Wizard Baruffilo, who said 's' instead of 'f' and found himself on the floor with a buffalo in his chest."

It was hard, according to everyone else in the class. Harry and Seamus tried and tried, but nothing happened. Even Ron was trying, though Hermione seemed irritated by this. Courtney watched curiously as Ron tried again.

"_Wingardium Leviosa!_" Ron said as he waved his arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Hermione snapped. "It's Wing-_gar_-dium Levi-_o-_sa, make the 'gar' nice and long." Ron narrowed his eyes and held his head up high.

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione nodded, flicked her wand, and then said, "_Wingardium Leviosa!" _Her feather rose of the desk and climbed higher, and higher, and higher. Courtney couldn't help but giggle at the disappointment in Ron's eyes, even as Flitwick noticed.

"Oh well done!" the Professor said, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Courtney sighed, shook her head, and then tried herself. It wasn't hard, but it wasn't easy, either. She was one of the few who managed to get their feather at least a foot above their desk by the time class ended, and after that Courtney found herself following Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"It's no wonder no one can stand her," Ron was saying. "She's a nightmare, honestly." Courtney watched as Hermione sped pass them, tears in her eyes. Courtney sighed and shook her head, feeling that she was to the point of eavesdropping.

Courtney turned left and walked towards the Library. Aunt Cynthia had sent her an important letter that she needed to send a response to.

_Dear Aunt Cynthia_

_Thank you for informing me of this, I am grateful. As I assume that Kalayla and Amanda have gotten the same letter, I will not tell them, but I will at least tell you of my concerns._

_Haley is at her wildest at midnight, as your friend has told you, I'm sure, but before that she is usually calm. I am frightened to think of the reason that she attacked like that, unless her Wolfsbane potion did not come. I'm glad that your friend got out safely, but if Haley did not take the Wolfsbane potion, you might want to wait a few more days before you pick her up. After all, she is still in a wild state of mind until the third day after the full moon. _

_We're doing fine here at Hogwarts, though I am working harder than I had ever imagined. After our classes I usually finish my homework in the Library and leave quietly to the Forbidden Forest to hunt and exhaust my snow leopard instincts. It has been working, lately. I know because my irritation has been coming up a lot less. _

_Oh right, I forgot. Sorry for not telling you sooner, but I was placed in Ravenclaw. Tiffany and I never talk too much, but I've seen my other sisters a lot lately. A few weeks ago Kalayla found a three-headed dog and showed us to it. Sorry for breaking the rules, Aunt Cynthia, but Kalayla was consistent. Just to shut her up I had to go, though I nearly got expelled as I did so._

_As you have probably heard, Amanda transformed and showed herself to Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, and his little friends; Hermione Granger, a muggle-born witch, was one of those friends. She has been bugging me to answer so many questions, I'd swear that she was a bug. If only I could turn her into one. . ._

_Just kidding, Aunt Cynthia. _

_Anyway, I'm glad to hear that you are well. Happy Halloween._

_Love your logical niece, _

_Courtney Faith Coppin._

Courtney folded the letter and put it into the envelope, smiling slightly. It had taken her a few hours to write the letter, but she was happy that she did. Hearing that Haley had actually nearly bitten someone was news, and if she hadn't gotten her Wolfsbane potion, Courtney had a certain potions master to talk to.

Courtney stood up and walked to the next room, which was the Owlery, and walked up to Vaylen, who was asleep until she whispered his name. The silver owl hooted and glared, but Courtney ignored it. If the proud bird was ignored, it would not act proud. That's at least what had been working for her.

He hooted happily this time, and held out his leg for Courtney to tie the letter. She did so happily, and then he was off, soaring through the October wind.

Courtney watched him disappear, and then walked over to the Great Hall. From what she'd heard, Hermione had gone to the girls' bathroom and hadn't returned. Not even for classes, which was odd for Hermione. Courtney had realized her absence sooner than the rest of them, because it was the first free period since Amanda's revealing that Hermione hadn't asked her a question.

A shadow moved, and Courtney turned her head quickly. Instants later, Amanda walked out from a room that Courtney had no intention of finding out the reason her sister was in. Courtney glared as Amanda noticed her presence.

"Where are you going?" asked Courtney. "Not the Gryffindor common room, I hope." Amanda narrowed her eyes, and then folded her arms.

"I am going to the girls' bathroom, if you must now, to—"

"Spy on Hermione?" Courtney asked, raising her eye brows. Amanda nodded, making Courtney roll her eyes.

"What?" Amanda asked. "It's not like I'm going to transform. I'm just having a bit of fun without breaking the rules." Courtney snorted, but then sighed.

"As long as you're not breaking the rules, you are allowed to do anything you want." Courtney explained. "So just do what you want to do and refrain from telling me, please."

"Okay!" Amanda said at once, and then sped off. Courtney shook her head, but then continued walking towards the Great Hall. Courtney had grown bored of trying to learn everything that her sisters did. It was working, because she had found out by a first year Hufflepuff that Kalayla had been going to the Great Hall for breakfast every morning accompanied by a fourth year boy called Cedric Diggory.

Courtney ate in silence, as usual, but keeping an eye on the Slytherin table. For whatever reason, Amanda had not returned, and Courtney was getting very worried. Normally, she would have just expected Amanda to give up, but if her sister was still in the girls' bathroom and chose to skip dinner, than Hermione must have been giving very juicy information to Amanda.

Kalayla was sitting with the normal first year girls at the Hufflepuff table, making Courtney feel at ease. Tiffany had chosen to sit by her today, which was strange, but she was at least keeping to herself.

"Hey, Courtney," said Tiffany. "Do you know where Amanda went? I noticed she wasn't at the Slytherin table." Courtney turned her head and nodded.

"I don't know what made her skip dinner, but I don't think she's in trouble." Tiffany nodded at this, and began talking with the other Ravenclaws. Courtney sighed and continued eating.

Courtney's eyes sprinted up from her plate as the Great Hall doors opened. Professor Quirrel ran through, a look of horror in his eyes, and made it to the staff table in nearly two seconds.

"Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know." No sooner than a moment later did the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher faint and fall to the floor. Everyone except for Courtney seemed to stand up and scream at nothing. Courtney was too busy thinking of how to ask Dumbledore to sack Professor Quirrel.

_If he faints like that, stammers, and drenches his own classroom with garlic in fear, than how on earth can he be a Defense Against the _Dark Arts _teacher?_

After a few moments, Dumbledore had managed to calm the crowd down. Now, everyone was looking at him with very worried eyes. Courtney rolled her eyes, but continued to watch the Headmaster.

"Prefects," Dumbledore said. "Lead your Houses back to the dormitories at once!" Tiffany, the Ravenclaw Prefect, stood up at once and began urging everyone forward. Courtney followed until they were out of the Great Hall, realizing a very important fact after glancing toward her sisters: Amanda wasn't there.

After both of the Ravenclaw Prefects were looking elsewhere, Courtney walked quickly out of sight. All of her senses were alert as she power-walked towards the girls' bathroom, and it was then that she ran into Ron and Harry, who had both stopped to look at her.

"Courtney?" Ron asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Going to the girls' bathroom to warn my sister, who was following Hermione all day." Courtney snapped, her irritation growing. "I assume you two are going to go warn Hermione?" They nodded, but Courtney didn't see. Her sharp ears had heard some footsteps, so she was too busy pushing them through a door that led into a small room. She closed the door then, and waited as the footsteps passed.

"Who was that?" asked Ron. "Percy?" Courtney looked at him and shook her head.

"Snape, and he's heading toward the third floor." Courtney replied, her hearing trying desperately to stay on Snape's footsteps.

"Where the three-headed dog was?" Ron asked. "Why would he go there?" Courtney growled and shrugged.

"I don't know, and frankly, we have a bigger problem on our hands." Courtney snapped as she opened the door and led the way toward the girls' bathroom.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, confused. Courtney growled lowly again, but then looked straight ahead.

"I don't know for sure, but I think the troll is close." Courtney explained. "And we're near the girls bathroom, I think." Just as she said this, the troll appeared. Twelve feet high, it was a granite gray color, and it held. Courtney could have gagged at the smell, even though that was her weakest sense, but she restrained herself. At the moment, she needed to get rid of the troll without transforming.

The troll looked through a door and as curiously grumbling to himself. Harry and Ron were close to it, but whatever was in the room was attracting it's attention more than they ever could.

"We could lock it in," Harry suggested, as he pointed at the key in the door. Courtney narrowed her eyes, thinking, for some reason, that this was a bad idea.

"Good plan," Ron said, waiting quietly for the troll to walk in. Just as it did, Courtney finally scented something familiar and was about to stop them, but they had already locked it.

"Yes!" Harry and Ron said.

"No!" Courtney snapped. "That was the girls bathroom, you idiots! You've just locked both Hermione and Amanda in with a troll!" Harry and Ron looked at each other with worried looks, but that only lasted until a high pitched scream sounded from the bathroom.

_That would be Hermione. . . _Courtney thought.

Then a loud hiss came, but Courtney could tell that it was human, thank Merlin.

_. . .and that would be Amanda. _

Courtney growled under her breath as she heard the hiss, but then unlocked the door quickly. Harry and Ron swooped in quickly as she held open the door, and then she walked in.

Hermione was shrinking by the sinks, hiding the best she could. The troll seemed most interested in her, but it couldn't get pass Amanda, who was standing right in front of it like an idiot and keeping the troll from hurting Hermione. How? Courtney could only guess.

"Confuse it!" Courtney snapped at Harry and Ron. "Make it more interested in you!" Ron looked over at her with a confused look.

"Are you mad?" asked Ron. "That thing could kill us!"

"We're quicker and lighter, Ron," Courtney hissed. "We just have to lead it out of here and let the professors deal with it!" Harry, thankfully, had already gotten the thing's attention, and it was now looking at the three of them. Courtney growled, got the right amount of attention, and pulled both Harry and Ron in front of her the best she could.

"Amanda!" Courtney yelled over her shoulder. "Do not leave until we get back!" It was too late, however, because, for some reason, the troll found Amanda and Hermione a lot more interesting now. Courtney growled again, but it was no use. The troll was moving back toward Amanda.

Amanda hissed at it, and Courtney knew from her expression that she would love to transform at the moment. To Courtney, she could, because Hermione and the others already knew, but it would be breaking the rule again, and she wanted anything but to be expelled.

Then, suddenly, Amanda looked away from the troll.

"Amanda!" Courtney yelled. "Pay attention to the troll!"

It was too late, though, because the troll had already risen it's club, and brought it down on Amanda. Courtney's sister fell with a loud hiss that made Courtney grimace. Amanda screamed slightly a few seconds later, though Courtney could barely hear it through her anger. With her protective instincts growing back, and it rising it's club again, Courtney felt there was no other way.

Courtney closed her eyes and transformed.

The familiar fur and paws returned to her, and, as she unsheathed her claws, her eyes swung open. The troll had turned, finally finding her interesting, and had it's head tilted toward her. It raised it's club, then, and Courtney took that moment to lunge at the troll.

Courtney sunk her teeth in it's calf, making it roar in pain, and then moved swiftly away to Amanda's side. Her eyes were narrowed as the troll stopped roaring and turned to face it. It was angry now, and that made Amanda happy, Courtney knew. Amanda had already transformed behind her, making a hissing sound that Courtney did not wince at. Courtney looked at Amanda's snake form and nodded, letting her know that she could do anything she wanted.

Then Courtney lunged to distract the troll. It worked, and so she dodged another swing of the club. It was still angry, and Courtney found herself happy. Amanda had all the time in the world to gather the venom she needed, and then they would transform before any of the professors who didn't know, like Quirrel if he was awake, would show up.

Courtney jumped just in time to miss the club, but it had destroyed a wooden stall that made wood fly everywhere. Courtney felt a small piece slice one of her hind legs, but ignored it. Amanda had just given her the warning hiss, which made her leap to the opposite side of the bathroom that Amanda was on. Only seconds later did the troll roar with burning pain after Amanda bit into it.

Courtney transformed as Amanda did, and then turned to Harry and Ron. "I don't have my wand with me," Courtney explained quickly. "and I think we need help."

"W-what do you mean?" asked Ron, worry on his face. Courtney narrowed her eyes.

"It can't see at the moment due to Amanda's venom," Courtney explained, though she had no idea if that was the venom Amanda used or not. Probably, since the pea-brain was blinking and it had a cloudy look in his eyes. "But it will be able to in a few seconds, which is why you need to knock it out."

"But how?" Ron asked. "I don't know as many spells as you or Hermione do!"

"Think of something!" Courtney snapped. "And quickly, please!"

Ron's eyes were wide, though Hermione could tell Harry was thinking for a spell as well. His eyes landed on Hermione, who was telling him to do something that Courtney couldn't hear. Ron nodded, and then Courtney took a few steps out of the way.

Ron stood up straighter and then raised his wand before saying, "_Wingardium Leviosa!" _It worked, or at least on the trolls club. The club raised in the air, and then above the troll's head. Then it fell on the troll's head, making it grunt. Ron quickly got out of the way as it fell, and Courtney sighed with relief as the troll's closed eyes letting her know that it was knocked out.

"Good job Ron," said Courtney softly before running over to Amanda's side. Hermione had already stood up and got over to Harry and Ron.

Amanda didn't look too bad, though Courtney was still worried. Her arm looked broken, and maybe her wrist too, but nothing else, and Courtney knew that Madam Pomfrey, the medi-witch at the hospital wing at Hogwarts, would be able to heal it in no time.

"You idiot!" Courtney hissed in Amanda's ear. "Never do that again!"

"What, get hurt?" Amanda snapped. "Like I'd want to do that again."

Courtney laughed as her sister stood up, holding her arm funny, then walked behind Amanda and over to the door, where Hermione and the others were.

"That was awesome!" Ron said as he saw Courtney. "All of it!" He added as Amanda glared at him. She looked happy after that.

"Don't tell anyone," Courtney warned. "Or I _will _have to transform again." Ron's mouth went shut, but that was only seconds before Professor Mcgonagall, Snape, and Quirrel showed up.

Professor Snape took one look at Amanda and narrowed his eyes, making her hiss slightly. Snape looked away, and then examined the troll.

Professor McGonagall was unhappy, however, and her lips were white. She was obviously furious, and Courtney knew that points would be taken from all of the houses today at one time.

"Explain yourselves!" McGonagall snapped, making Courtney narrow her eyes.

"Please, Professor," Hermione interrupted. "Harry and Ron were looking for me."

McGonagall turned to face her, her eyes narrowed into slits. "What do you mean, Miss Granger?" Hermione took a long, exhausted breath but then replied.

"I had gone looking for the troll," Hermione explained, making Courtney irritated again. "I—I thought I could handle it on my own—you know, because I've read all about them. If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to come and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived." McGonagall now looked as if she wasn't going to believe her, but then she sighed.

"I am very disappointed in you, Miss Granger." McGonagall said, making Hermione sigh silently in relief. Ron and Harry looked relieved, as well, but mostly surprised that Hermione lied to a teacher. Courtney was surprised, too, but she knew what McGonagall was going to point out next. "However, I would like to ask how these two got here." The professor finished, her hand waving and Courtney and Amanda.

"That, Professor," said Courtney. "will be a matter that I think the Headmaster would like to hear." McGonagall turned toward her with a confusion look, but Snape interrupted her before she could ask her question.

"Yes, Minerva," Snape said. "I think Miss Coppin is right." Amanda scoffed quietly, but Courtney's glare made her quiet.

"Very well," Professor McGonagall said, then looked to Harry, Ron and Hermione. "If you are not hurt, you may return to your dormitories. Most of the students are finishing the feast in their houses." All three of them nodded, and left.

McGonagall then looked at the two of them, narrowed her eyes tighter, and turned to walk out of the door. Courtney and Amanda followed, Snape making sure he walk behind them. Courtney figured that Quirrel was forced by Snape to stay behind, but couldn't know for sure.

Courtney waited quietly for Dumbledore to say something. She had just finished explaining everything, and why they transformed, which had been his first question. McGonagall seemed shocked—probably because Courtney had revealed that Hermione had lied—and Professor Snape seemed impressed, which was obviously because of what Amanda did. Amanda herself was sitting quite proudly in her chair, and yet Dumbledore still gave an emotionless expression that Courtney could only hope to learn in the future.

Finally the Headmaster sighed, then said, "Well, you have broken a rule. However, that was to defend yourself, so I am not going to expel you." Courtney gave a relieved sigh, despite herself, and Amanda looked even more pleased, if that was possible. Dumbledore then looked to Amanda. "What I would like to know is why you didn't just make it sleep, if your venom can in fact do so."

"I couldn't," Amanda put simply. "I didn't have enough time. To blind for a few seconds took me only three minutes, knocking it out would have took at least ten, and killing it would have taken an hour, probably. It all depends on how strong the venom has to be." Dumbledore paused, but then nodded.

"That is a reasonable answer," said Dumbledore, his smile growing. He frowned as he turned to Courtney, however, making her eyes narrow. "But going after your sister when you could have just told the professors was not."

"Sorry, Headmaster," Courtney apologized, though her voice was far from apologetic. "My protective instincts are still there, apparently." Dumbledore eyed her, making her smirk a little. Courtney knew that she had promised to leave the protecting up to the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress, but that was far from happening.

"Your sister did the right thing, at least." Dumbledore said, sighing. Courtney tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Kalayla?" asked Amanda. "What did she do?"

"She came and got the professors that came after you defeated the troll, Miss Coppin." said Dumbedore, smiling. "Hufflepuff will be awarded 15 points for that." Courtney narrowed her eyes again, but did not say anything. The wise old wizard had more to say and she knew it. "If you hadn't done it out of protecting Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger it would have been a lot more, but I am taking five points from Ravenclaw and Slytherin." Amanda frowned, but didn't say anything.

Dumbledore waited then, as Courtney and him had a staring contest, but then dismissed them after a few moments. Courtney stood gladly, and then swiftly walked out of the room. Amanda and her split up as soon as they were off of the stair case, and then she walked in silence.

Courtney then worked on calming herself down as she walked down a large dark hall. It was a wonder she hadn't transformed in the Headmasters office, she she quickly sped out of the Hogwart grounds when she found an opening and walked quickly over to the Forbidden Forest.

Courtney smiled as she realized that she wasn't breaking any rules. It was not yet time for her to be in the castle, and she was transforming outside of the castle. It was perfect.

When she made it to the forest, she made her ears listen for any human. Since she found none, she transformed for the second time that night and sprinted forward, running through the forest. It was a free feeling that made her purr softly. It was a wonder no one heard her, or anyone that cared, anyway. Courtney was loud when she transformed.

Courtney slowed to a jog after awhile, feeling the need to rest a bit. She was exhausted mostly from the troll incident, but running through the forest was also tiring. Even if she was in shape from coming to the forest every day, it wasn't long before she could get tired.

A quick movement caught her eye, making her eyes follow it. It looked like some dark figure, and it was chasing what looked like unicorn. Curious, Courtney followed as the two figures sprinted off.

Both of them were fast, Courtney noted as she dodged another tree. However, the darker figure seemed to be gliding, not running. Unless it was a dementor, which Courtney doubted, this—this _thing _was unknown to her. This irritated her, but was making her keep running was that this thing was trying to kill the unicorn, and then probably drink it's blood, which would result in a cursed life. Courtney just needed to figure out what this creature was.

Then the unicorn was caught, and a neigh of worry came from it. The dark figure killed it easily, then it fell to the ground. Courtney watched with disgust as the creature bent down and started sucking the blood out of the unicorn. She kept watching, making herself see everything so that she could catch a glimpse of it. She saw nothing but a dark cloak, which also irritated her.

When it stood—if Courtney even didn't call it standing—it seemed to turn toward her, though she had hidden safely behind a large bush that she could barely see out of. Then it glided forward, making Courtney wonder exactly how safe that bush was.

"_There's someone here," _said a voice, as if telling it to someone. _"But I don't know exactly what it is. . ." _

"Would you like me to find it, master?" asked another voice, though this one was firmer. It was definitely coming from underneath the cloak, and it sounded somewhat familiar. A few moments passed before she heard the first voice again.

"_No," _said the second voice. _"I do not think that will be necessary." _Then it glided onward, disappearing from sight. Courtney sighed with relief and walked out from behind the push. This was certainly something she'd talk to Dumbledore about, if she ever got the chance.

_I'm just wondering what sort of creature that thing was, _Courtney thought. _It's as if it had two minds, and one wasn't supposed to be there. . ._

_Dear Courtney_

_Yes, I have sent this to Amanda and Kalayla, though neither of them responded with such a long letter. Neither of them even questioned about the Wolfsbane potion._

_Haley did not remember taking the Wolfsbane potion, nor did she remember getting it. I think that Professor Snape forgot, but I would like to make sure. Could you talk to him about it, after class or something? I am sorry I am asking so much, but I do not feel that sending him a letter will end on a good note._

_It is good that you're in Ravenclaw, and I am not disappointed in you or Amanda for the troll incident. You were protecting those you loved, no matter what you did to do it. _

_Please talk to Professor Snape._

_Love,_

_Aunt Cynthia_

As Courtney read the letter, she nearly ripped it into pieces. Professor Snape had not forgotten, and she knew that. He just didn't give it to her, probably because he heard that she was attending Hogwarts, and this made Courtney mad. He could have hurt her—physically _and _mentally—and she was going to find out why.

Courtney folded the letter carefully, put in her robe pocket, and stood up. She was the only one in the dormitory, thankfully, so her sudden leave would strike anyone's attention. After all, she spent most of her time on her bed reading books, or in the Library. Leaving like she did—stomping and probably looking as if she would kill somebody if they got in her way—would have made the whole room look at her, and then the rumors would be born. Courtney hated that.

As she opened the door out of the Ravenclaw tower, she felt even angrier. Snape had probably deliberately not given her the Wolfsbane potion after hearing that she would attend Hogwarts next year, and Courtney would not stand there and wait for him to realize that she needed the potion for her own sanity, and her sisters as well. She would have left it alone til later so that her sisters could help her make him understand how much of a danger "forgetting" to give Haley her potion was, but she figured that Kalayla would be to kind to force him, and Amanda would probably get detention for yelling at her Head of House. That would be bad, considering Amanda had only just ended her detention after the Gryffindor Tower incident, and at the moment, Courtney had to get her anger out at somebody, and soon.

It took her a little while to make her way toward the Slytherin dungeons, but she did it quicker than usual. Courtney sighed as she walked closer and closer to one of Snape's less private rooms, but stopped when she saw Harry walk into the same room she was about to go into. Courtney stopped moving and listened closely as she heard Snape yell to himself.

"Blasted thing," Snape muttered. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Courtney's eyes widened as she heard this, her heart skipping a beat, and then beating quicker. Why on earth was Snape seeing the three-headed dog? To get whatever it was guarding?

"POTTER!" Snape finally yelled. Courtney heard Harry murmur something, but didn't catch it. It was drowned out by Snape yelling, "Out! _OUT!" _Courtney watched as Harry left the room, his eyes looking dazed as he thought the exact same thing Courtney was.

Thinking quickly, Courtney rushed up to him before he could get away and said, "Keep what Snape said in mind," she warned. "It has something to do with whatever the dog is guarding. I think a visit to Hagrid might be a good idea, since he's so nice with animals."

Harry blinked, but then tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"I'm just getting suspicious about Snape," Courtney snapped, trying hard not to blow Haley's secret. "and you already seem interested, anyway. Just make sure to think about it." Harry nodded slowly, and then left. Courtney sighed in frustration, but then turned and entered the room.

Courtney was very surprised to find that one of Snape's legs had been badly wounded, and blood seemed to coat it enough to make it a deep red. Filch was helping bandage it up, though he would leave soon, Courtney was sure. Snape's eyes were already on her, making her smile a bit.

"Coppin! Out!" Snape snapped, as if she were a dog.

"Not likely," Courtney said darkly before growling a bit. "After what you did to my sister, I don't think I'm going to leave for awhile. Remember," she added as Snape began to interrupt her. "I have protective instincts." Snape sneered, but then shooed Filch away.

"I'll have Poppy fix the rest," Snape muttered. Filch left after that, probably sensing the tension. Courtney was still glaring at the Professor, making him squirm a bit. His uncomfortable look ended a few moments later, forcing Courtney to drop her expression as well.

"Why didn't you give Haley with Wolfsbane potion?" asked Courtney as soon as she heard Filch leave earshot.

"I did not think she needed it after you arrived, Miss Coppin," said Snape. "Obviously I am wrong." Courtney narrowed her eyes.

"You are lying, Professor," Courtney said, her voice darkening even more. She was going to talk him into circles until he understood, or maybe even into a corner. "I know Aunt Cynthia gave you a letter telling you to keep sending the potion—I watched her write it. You responded three days later, stating that you would."

"Prove it," Snape snapped, limping over to a nearby table. "Bring it up to the Headmaster. I doubt he'll believe you."

Courtney laughed.

"I doubt he will, too," Courtney agreed. "Which is another reason I'm keeping it secret. I don't want the Headmaster, nor Aunt Cynthia, to know about this little chat." Snape looked confused now, or as much as he could with that slimy emotionless mask that made Courtney unable to see what emotions lay behind it.

"Why?" Snape asked simply, making Courtney angrier.

Courtney grinned. "Because I don't want either of them to know how serious I'm taking it, though whining to them would make it sound like I'm weak." Courtney growled lowly. "Haley is my sister, and without her Kalayla, Amanda and I would be lost. We've always had the full moon to be free, but if you make our sister wild and dangerous we would have to stay away, and then you would be caging us up." She paused, but then sighed. "You wouldn't want to do that with your little snake, would you?"

"That isn't going to work, Miss Coppin," Snape muttered. "I am trained to ignore things like that."

"As am I, to some extent," said Courtney. "As you probably know."

"Yes, I have noticed," Snape snapped. "And I will glad to be rid of you after your O.W.L's."

Courtney laughed again, wondering how stupid Professor's had to be to get into Hogwarts. "That's five years from now, Professor," Courtney reminded him. "You're stuck with me until then."

"Unfortunately," Snape muttered, his eyes narrowed. Courtney smiled at this frustration, but then shook her head.

"I have to leave, now," Courtney explained. "But, just in warning, I shall have you know that I can do much worse things than talking you in circles if you "forget" my sisters potion again. That three-headed dog I have heard you talking about may just get another visit from someone. . .unfamiliar." And with that, Courtney left, leaving Snape gap at her knowledge behind her.

As she walked back to the Ravenclaw tower, she felt that she did something productive. Snape would not know how she got the information, though he would probably guess the answer. That wasn't bad, though. It had scared him enough.

* * *

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter.**

Another chapter. =D I didn't have time to do it yesterday or before that. =)

See what I mean? Snapes conversation with Courtney was waaaaaay to. . .Mary-suish. *gags* but not all of her conversations are like that, and she gets fixed at the middle of this book, I promise. =)


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